Novel What's Your Writing Process?

If marilyn adopted the same approach to the men in her life then its a worthy quote, as seen as she didnt id consign it to the dustbin, thus denying it its folklore like status. It hardly propels a give and take philosophy going forward does it?

 

I just realized that I write things out of order. I see the direction I want to take, and I write at different points of the timeline.

 

My process involves a lot of notes. First I either create, or in the case of fan-fiction, familiarize myself with the world. What is the history? The lore? What is the culture (or cultures) and how do they interact, react, or otherwise behave? Having those basic building blocks available allows me to drop characters in with a large bit already filled in by the work I've already done on their overall culture. Then it's just a matter of -what I call- the "what would Jesus do?" approach. We'll call this example character Steve. Based on his culture, his upbringing, etc; what would Steve do when presented with such-and-such situation or conflict? Even if you're writing from the first person, you already know everything about the world you've made and the people in it, it's just a matter of filling in the blanks.

My favorite trick though, especially when I have ideas for some other part of the story; is to keep a document (or notebook) which I call ASOS. "A smattering of scenes." And I'll write out these other scenes as they come to me, most of them are brain-crack and don't get used, but by writing them down I've got a stockpile of scenes that I can use in the event of a writers block. A lot of the time they wind up inspiring me to write other scenes. I suppose, in this way I envision the story like a movie, or better yet like a show. Each chapter is an episode, each scene with a clear beginning and end, flowing together into the overarching plot.

I think the best example of my method comes from my Fallout 3 fan-fiction. I spent some time (read: several months) playing the game, strategy guide near at hand; to familiarize myself with the world. I added things that had happened to me in the game directly into the story: encounters with raiders, several odd instances of the AI messing up etc. With the strategy guide I was able to sprinkle in a lot of the NPCs from the game, and plot out locations and travels that actually made sense. The comments I got on the first 3 chapters all seemed to love the fact that my wasteland felt "alive" simply because I gave these NPCs a brief mention. Also, when my dad reminded me to have the heroine remember to pack toilet paper, I scoffed but added a brief mention of it in chapter 1. Most of the comments I've received mention that sentence fragment, usually saying that it was a simple, elegant solution to a fandom-wide problem.

So I suppose my best advice would be this (in the case of fiction writing at least): know your world, know your culture, and know your characters. Everything else can be extrapolated from that knowledge. The most important question you can ask yourself while writing is "why?" in any situation. If you get stuck, ask why, like "why does Steve believe this?" or "Why would Steve do that?" and the answer just may be your next move.

 

It's really interesting to see how others write! I'm just starting out and I don't really have a "process" yet. The free time I have is pretty limited so I started keeping a notebook under my bed or in my car so I can write things as they come to me. I also bring my laptop with me when I go to pick my kids up from school so I can write while I'm waiting in the car line.

 

My latest book started as an isolated paragraph. I had no intention of developing a story, but within the paragraph a character grew. Then it developed into a short story that I just kept adding to. Then I did start planning where it could go and what might happen, with five or six paths narrowed down to one. I wrote the ending before adding the middle, and it's one of the few things that I have barely changed. I absolutely love my ending and work hard to get to that stage. But because I didn't structure it well from the very start, I am now having major reconstruction headaches in the middle that have literally lasted years.

 

Does anyone write freeform without mapping out chapters?

I've been writing a lot of short stories lately which has changed how I write.
Usually I have an idea and just start writing till the story is done.

That's not my style for novels, but now I'm having a hard time going
back to projects I've set aside and mapping out a chapter - something
I always did.

I'd list the chapter goals and then start writing but I started a rewrite
on a project the other day no set goal for the chapter and found it
flowing well but it made me nervous, having no clear goal.

Just curious if anyone else does it - is it a technique?

 

I like to outline, but I do a lot of mental work first. Here's my process!

First I get an idea of the story I want to write and the sorts of characters that will populate the story. (pre-writing).

Then I do a little world building. I like plot driven fiction so conflicts that have to do with the issues in my fictional world are important. (I consider this phase pre-writing still).

Then I make a step sheet. A quick summery of every single scene for my novel.

I world build a little more.

Then a flesh out my characters and make them realistic.

Then I go back to the step sheet and add details to every scene, slowly beefing up the outline more and more--kinda like growing muscles on a skeleton. After I'm happy with my characters and my outline I write the first draft through WITHOUT STOPPING! Editing while I write kills my creative drive and it also slows me way down.

After the first draft is done I do a quick revision of all the major problems in my novel.

Then I let the novel cool down for a month as I think for new ideas on another novel.

Then I finish the revision through several more steps, which I wont get into.

That's how I do it.

 

Mine is a technique I developed when taking creative writing modules at university, because we often had to outline and critique our own working practice as part of the course marks. Here it is:

Firstly, I have a large notebook (A4) into which all creative possibilities go (eg What would happen if a boy befriended a gorilla whilst accompanying his father on a working holiday in Rwanda? Or, Should I write up that terribly embarrasing thing that happened to me aged 9, into a short story for children?) I also paste newspaper clippings that fascinate me in this book, and transfer any tidbits I've jotted down from a small notebook I carry everywhere with me. Additionally, I 'freewrite' for 15 minutes when I first wake up, before getting out of bed, as per Dorothea Brande's advice, and this sometimes generates nuggets, although that is not the aim. But that is another subject entirely! I delve into this A4 goldmine when I am ready to start something new, browsing hrough the pages, and waiting for something to jump out at me. Then I let it brew...

When scenarios start to take shape I start a new 'rough' notebook esp for that story and jot down everything as it occurs. It even stays on my bedside cabinet at night bacause things often come to me when I'm semi-comatose! Once I have enough material in there about the 'whys and wherefors' and the main cast of players have largely introduced themselves to me, I make a detailed chapter-by-chapter, story line charting the progress of the novel. Under each chapter heading, it will give me the main thrust that keeps the story moving, what is happening to whom (subplots begin to take shape now) and I will also mark where the crisis points and resolutions occur on a simple graph, so that I can see the story has a 'rise and fall' that hopefully keeps a reader's interest.

Then I choose another notebook, this time it has to be a good quality one for me because it somehow expresses how much value I place upon my work. To use a shoddy or chap notebook just cheapens the whole experience for me. I write out each chapter slowly, letting scenes and emotions play like a movie in my head. I also use a fountain pen and ink as I believe this adds to the organic experience of the fundamental writing process; by this I mean watching as your hand forms each letter shape, each word, sentence, paragraph your brain creates and dictates. Fountain pens are also more ergonomic (less hand cramps), and environmentally friendly than ballpoints or other disposables.

Each day I try to type up the writing from the day before, looking for ways to cut out superfluous words or clunky expression etc. When it is completely typed up, I wait one whole month (don't ask me why it has to be one whole month exactly) then I print out each chapter, and work on that one, revising as necessary (although there is very little revision by this point, it is mainly bloopers and typos), before moving on to the next.When it is done, it gets tied up in ribbon and stored until I am ready to send it out into the wide world.

This may seem to many quite a rigid way of working, but I love the rituals. I am the sort of person who enjoys going about things in an organised fashion. I need structure or I will dither and achieve little over a long period of time. I cannot work in a messy environment and I cannot create out of a messy imagination

 

Majority of my ideas come to me while I'm at work. I'll write it on a post it and stick it in my notebook so I can transfer it later. I have a huge novel like book that just has blank pages. Any idea I have I just write it down in there. There's no organization to my notes. I write outlines in this notebook and once my outline is done I'll start typing my script. Once I'm done with the script, I'll print it out and write all over it for the rewriting process. I'll keep doing this until my script is done.

 

The main task for me as a writer is to make up some plan to stick to it during the whole process. Being really unorganized person, I need some objective stuff which will motivate me. In my case, it is plan.

 

I've been writing on and off for a couple of years, I also write notes in notebooks and on post it notes but unfortunately I rarely organise them. I actually spent this afternoon trying to combine all the notes into one book but my story has changed and adapted so many times since I first started writing these notes that most of them are irrelevant now. I think, for me, the way forward is just to write on one master document and then go back and refine using the notes later. I have created a story arc which details exactly what I want to happen in each section/chapter and gives me the template I need to write the entire story. I think trying to slot my notes into the arc now wouldn't work so I need to get the motivation to write until I'm done and then go back and refine later.

 

Initially, when I get an idea I sit down and go with it, writing as much as I can as fast as I can while the spark is alive and fresh. What's written usually ends up looking more like a skeletal premise with extremely underdeveloped characters and little detail but has a decent main idea and a key plot point or two. That's when I break out the paper and pen.

I'm a "messy" writer; chaos is my chi, lol. I jot on paper, flesh out as much much as I can, print off and highlight research pages and bookmark books, and then literally scatter the papers on the floor in a room to get a visual. If a new idea sparks from the notes I've made, I'll break for the computer and do another hasty write as it comes. From there, I order or theme the papers and organize them into separate piles. This whole process can take weeks if not more (and yes, my floor stays a disaster zone) but when I'm finally satisfied with what I have, the piles then move to the table and I start with a fresh type.

I'm a visual person. I need the feel and process of sorting through papers, crossing out with my pen and drawing arrows for movement...for some reason computer files just don't do it for me. It's probably too "organized" for me to focus, plus I like to see the progress from the original to the reform - a delete button doesn't afford me the luxury of comparing. The bulk of my editing and new ideas continue to take place on paper and the less I use, when the majority of the project is done solely on the computer, is how I know the process is winding down and near completion.

 

I simply watch events unfold around me to start my prewriting. I tend to write allegories, so the simple things in any atmosphere inspire me. This is where I lay the foundation for the piece I wish to breath life into. Typically I find a place alone and listen to music that matches the tone of what I wish to write. It is in this manner I began to write in my head. I write, I edit and produce a finished product in my head before I even physically write anything down. After this process I write down quickly what I have come up with. Then I edit again. Tweak, change and produce a more polished work. I am never satisfied with anything I write, which in turn drives me to continue writing.

 

1. A unique organised structure is important.
2. A precise, ordered plan whether it be on paper, spoken words or thought though doing it on pure thought is hard. (I am awesome at thought planning,though that's not all thats needed.)
3. Hard work in other terms: "Oh mortal man, do you know our fate? If you do not know the future then toil and sweat with effort and toil is what you will need." - Jovon

 

Currently, I'm working as a freelancer in the research field, thus, to fulfill my tasks, I need to organize and structurize my work well. I mean that in this way, my piece of writing develops almost without 'muse'. All i need is a well-organized plan.

 

My own process is usually a varied, chaotic mess of drafts on paper and on computer until a feel I have enough to start work on the overall project. Once I finish a chapter I read through my work start to finish, first word to the last word, making adjustments as I go. While I'm out and about I'll keep my notepad close so that if I have an idea to continue the chapter I can jot it down and then work on it at a later date.

Yeah just typing that made me realise what a jumbled mess my writing process is but I guess it kind of works for me.

 

Chaos. I splash out my ideas and then go back and refine, and while I refine I get new ideas and build on the skeleton. It's a mess.

 

Having just started my first novel, I took a day or two to draw up a rough sketch regarding my characters, the setting, and the general themes I wanted to include in my work. I didn't really plan the plot as such and began writing it organically, aiming to complete about a chapter a day. 3 months later I'm about halfway through and although as I haven't planned it as such I have to keep a steady log of what's going on, I've found it's gone ok so far. Obviously lots of polishing and editing will be required once I finish the thing, though I look forward to doing that. Next time round I'm hoping to properly plan out a sequence of events though as it has been a struggle to find inspiration a fair amount of the time.

 

My writing process is a simple one I think

1. Brainstorm
2. Start writing and if you like the idea continue if not back to step one
3. Write rough outline
4. make first draft
5. make changes where needed
6. Add more detail
7. repeat step five
8. If more detail can be added ADD IT!!!
9. Final Edit

 

I like to plan, in detail. Structure for me is valuable, especially in longer, more complex stories with lots of intertwined threads. Only after I'm reasonably happy that the structure is coherent will I then start the writing of the prose. My biggest failing comes from this approach, which is I neglect my prose in favour of supplying information, leading to a sometimes quite poor 'scan'. I'm having to rework the prose of my first two novels because of this.

 

I write all of my stories out on paper first then i edit them on my computer, The process is a little slower but it is what works best for me.

 

I make notes, put them away and forget about them. That goes on for a few months After that Ill write for two or three weeks at a time while not writing for weeks or months at a time untill the book is completed.

 

I have a different process depending on what I am writing.

With short stories, an idea generally comes to me. More often than not from dreams or witnessed experiences which plants a seed. My imagination then runs off with the seed, completely of its own accord, and develops the framework for a story.

Then, I just do my best to turn the story my mind has created into a coherent piece of work.

With my novel, I did the same process the first time. And to be honest, it was a bit rubbish.

I am now rewriting the novel and have decided on a different process.

I write down the ideas in a rough format.
Elaborated on my notes to create a timeline.
Drew a map of the world.
Created character sheets and filled them out for the prominent characters.
Created a bestiary and notes on the language.
And now I'm writing a chapter by chapter guide.
Once that is done, I will begin writing the story.

 

I build a plan of all the characters (sometimes with sketches of them as well), a bullet point plan of the plot, and a short explanation for each interpersonal relationship between each character.
Then I write a first chapter, review it, and if I like what I've written I revise the plan and carry on.

 

I usually write from inspiration. I receive a topic or a character in my mind and thus begin to write about them and the plot, setting and other things come as I begin to write. I write in a free style and have to write fast in the spurts I receive the inspiration and creativity then put my paper down and wont touch it again until my next inspirational spurt! I have many unfinished stories that I started and my drive has shifted to another story or idea.